One person was killed and three people were injured after gunfire erupted inside an El Paso mall, authorities said Wednesday.
One suspected shooter is in custody, and a second possible suspect was at large, El Paso Police Sgt. Robert Gomez told reporters outside Cielo Vista Mall.
The mall is next to the Walmart where a gunman killed 23 people and injured 22 in 2019.
Shooting inside Cielo Vista Mall WalMart in El Paso leaves at least one dead on Feb. 15, 2023. Seen in this photo is a makeshift memorial for victims of a previous shooting in El Paso on Aug. 6, 2019.
Mark Ralston | AFP | Getty Images
Authorities responded to reports of a shooting at 5:10 p.m., Gomez said. The reports came from the mall’s food court, the El Paso Police Department said on Twitter.
Two of the wounded victims were in critical condition, according to Ryan Mielke, a spokesman for University Medical Center of El Paso.
Gomez did not identify the suspected shooter in custody, and he could not provide a description of the second possible suspect. A motive in the shooting remained unclear.
Authorities recovered a weapon thought to have been used in the shooting, Gomez said. He did not say what kind of gun it was.
The local emergency management agency established a family reception center at the main gym of a local high school, local officials said.
Rep. Veronica Escobar, whose district includes El Paso, recalled the 2019 shooting on Twitter and said Wednesday’s gunfire “brought back traumatic memories for many of us. Please know you are not alone.”
“No community deserves multiple incidents of gun violence,” she added.